After playing Kingdom Hearts every year, I think a remake could solve these 6 problems

After making the journey year after year with Sora, Donald and Goofy, the original The heart of the kingdom it feels more and more like a time capsule – bursting with charm but also begging to be tweaked. Not only could a full remake smooth out the jagged animations or modernize the combat flow, but it could also be an opportunity to re-examine the basics The heart of the kingdom series that tackles the long-running issues that have plagued the franchise across various handheld entries, remixes, and HD collections. For a series as sprawling and continuity-heavy as this one, revisiting the starting point could quietly refocus and fix everything that follows.

Although there is no official confirmation from Square Enix of a The heart of the kingdom remake, a recent leak claimed Kingdom Hearts ReLux was coming Relux was reportedly a complete remake The heart of the kingdomnot a remaster. Those rumors have been largely debunked, but it got me thinking about what I'd want in a full remake The heart of the kingdom. Despite the excellent remasters, there are some parts of the title that either just don't live up to modern standards, or were lackluster to begin with.

Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds leaks

A listing that claims to reveal the worlds that will appear in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 4 has surfaced online.

Kairi deserves to be more than just motivation

Kairi has always been the focal point of the emotional core The heart of the kingdombut rarely central to its activity. In the original game, it functions largely as a salvage item and as an anchor for Sora's heart. Later entries attempt to correct course, giving her Keyblade training and some brief playable moments Kingdom Hearts 3but its basic depiction still remains in sharp contrast with Melody of memory is the first solo title for Kairi. Even there, in the end, she still finds herself a damsel in distress. The remake could significantly expand Kairi's role during the first game's timeline. Rather than disappearing for long stretches, it could have short playable sequences in Traverse Town or Hollow Bastion that offer a unique perspective.

A few more cutscenes from her point of view could reframe her as an active participant rather than a narrative endpoint. More importantly, expanded dialogue and interactions could give Kairi substance. Her time on the Destiny Islands, her connection with Sora and Riku, and her experience as someone displaced from the Radiant Garden are all fertile ground. If the series wants players to see Kairi as a Keeper of Light on par with her childhood friends, they need to start from scratch.

Gummi Ship Combat needs to be more than just a loading screen

Kingdom Hearts' The Gummi Ship was ambitious in concept, a customizable vessel bridging the worlds of Disney Space fox– fighting style. In practice, it's often seen as a mandatory break between actual adventures, while other entries have tried to innovate. Kingdom Hearts 2 turned the traversal segments into pulsating spherical hells and Kingdom Hearts 3 brought back the Gummi Ship as an open world. While I personally resonated with the bullet hell version, the remake could transform Gummi Ship travel into something more substantial.

For modern tastes, Gummi Ship customization should be more intuitive but offer deeper options. Instead of feeling like clumsily maneuvering LEGOs on a 3D grid, shipbuilding could make a significant difference to combat style. As with one of Sora's own Keyblade builds, players can prioritize speed, defense, or firepower with a system that's more than just holding a single button. Dynamic encounters between worlds, optional boss battles, and branching paths would make traversing the universe feel less like filler and more like its own game within. The heart of the kingdom. Leaning into the spectacle could turn what was once a chore into a real highlight.

Lip syncing and presentations require a modern approach

A scene with characters from the world of The Little Mermaid in Kingdom Hearts (2002)

Playing the original The heart of the kingdom today, one of the most distracting elements isn't the camera — it's the lip sync. Characters often deliver emotional monologues while their mouths open and close in a loop, barely matching the English dialogue. The improved presentation is not just cosmetic, The heart of the kingdom is melodrama by design. When the performances land, they take off. If not, the seams will show.

A remake built from the ground up with modern engines could finally address that. Faithful facial capture and properly synchronized performances would dramatically elevate key scenes in the film The heart of the kingdom timeline: Sora and Rik's early rivalry, Sora's sacrifice in the Hollow Bastion, and Ansem's terrifying revelation. These moments carry the emotional weight of the franchise; it deserves a cinematic sheen.

It's time to leave textual cinematography

The heart of the kingdom leans heavily on text boxes, especially in quieter moments or during Disney world subplots. As charming as it was in 2002, the contrast between the spoken and silent scenes now feels discordant. Fully voicing these segments would create a smoother narrative experience and give supporting characters more presence. It would also allow for better pacing, with performances carrying emotional nuances that the text alone has a hard time conveying.

With how dialogue-heavy the later entries become, it would be fitting for a remake to back-align the first game with the series' evolving storytelling style. And with new voice actors for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Cloud, Tifa and crew, this could be an opportunity to do something sleepier The heart of the kingdom the conversation flows.

Donald and Goofy deserve to be smarter

A scene with characters in the world of Nightmare Before Christmas in Kingdom Hearts (2002)

Everyone who played The heart of the kingdom he knows the frustration allies can cause. Donald, despite his best intentions, occasionally blows mana until he can heal at a critical moment, and Goofy's use of abilities can be questionable at the best of times. Party AI oscillates between surprisingly competent and hilariously self-sabotaging. While Goofy and Donald are operational, The heart of the kingdom they could borrow inspiration from the included Gambit system Final Fantasy 12 to solve this problem.

Imagine assigning conditional priorities to Donald and Goofy: Cast Cure if an ally's HP drops below 40%. If the boss is spread out, favor offensive magic. This system would not trivialize the struggle; it would enhance the player expression. Players who want a support-oriented Donald could make him act that way, while others could make him an aggressive wizard. The same could be said for Goofy, who could have been given clear direction on when to use specific defensive and crowd control abilities.

Riku's parallel campaign could redefine the story

Perhaps the most transformative addition would be a fully realized Riku campaign running parallel to Sora's journey. Riku's descent into darkness and gradual redemption form one of the series' strongest arcs, but much of that story takes place off-screen in the first game. While Final mix edition helped fill in some of the gaps with a few smaller cutscenes, with players mostly witnessing the consequences of his decisions rather than the process itself. A parallel campaign could change that.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories actually did something like this on the Game Boy Advance, and I still remember the thrill I felt after clearing the game as Sora and seeing the menu screen change to an image of Riku. This campaign was unlocked after players cleared the initial game, but a The heart of the kingdom a remake wouldn't necessarily do the same. The title could feature alternating chapters where players control Riku during key moments such as his alliance with Maleficent or the “rescue” of Kairi. Different combat mechanics—darkness-based abilities, risk-reward systems, or temporary transformations—would give Rik a distinct gameplay identity. The moment the two paths converged in Hollow Bastion, players would not only understand Riku's transformation journey, but experience it.

Playback The heart of the kingdom every year he confirms why he has become a phenomenon. A mash-up of Disney whimsy and Final Fantasy the melodrama remains strangely magical. The soundtrack still resonates. All Keyblades in The heart of the kingdom still feels great. But nostalgia doesn't erase the game's rough edges. A thoughtful remake wouldn't need to reinvent the core of the game, just improve it. Done right, it wouldn't just be a prettier version of a classic. It would be the definitive foundation for everything that would follow.